Arab League chief slams 'immoral' U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem

Reuters Staff

2 Min Read

CAIRO (Reuters) - Palestinian deaths associated with the United States moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem should be a warning to others considering a similar move, the head of the Arab League said on Monday after the body called an emergency meeting on the issue.

FILE PHOTO: A man walks next to a road sign directing to the U.S. embassy, in the area of the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, May 7, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Israeli troops killed dozens of Palestinians taking part in mass protests on the Gaza border as Washington officially transferred its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a move that has delighted Israel but infuriated Palestinians.

The Arab League will hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the “illegal” embassy move, Egypt’s news agency MENA reported earlier on Monday, citing an Arab diplomat.

Arab League Chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit called the move a “clear violation of international law”, MENA said.

“The fall of Palestinian martyrs by the bullets of the Israeli occupation must ring an alarm ... bell to any state that does not find anything wrong with the immoral and illegal stance that we are watching,” he said.

“The opening of the American embassy in occupied Jerusalem represents a step of utmost gravity which I do not think the U.S. administration realizes its real consequences in both the short and long term,” he added.

The Arab league is expected to hold a meeting on Wednesday at the level of permanent representatives “to counter the illegal decision taken by the United States of America to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem,” MENA reported.